The Tragedy of OTPs
by SarahTonin
Summary: This is also a bit of a mystery and romance. Italy is distraught over the loss of Germany. When he hears a rumor concerning his brother, he wants to make sure that his story will go better than his own did. He'll go to what ever lengths he needs to make sure that the rumors stay that way. WARNING: THERE WILL BE CHARACTER DEATHS. THIS IS NOT A HAPPY STORY!
1. Chapter 1

**AN:If you are expecting a Tomato Box Fairytale, you are sadly mistaken. This story has nothing to do with that. The only kind of fluff you'll find is sad fluff. I'm just writing this story to switch up the style a bit. Please enjoy!**

"I don't know what to fucking do anymore. He won't eat. He won't talk. He won't cry. Hell, the only thing he does is sleep, and he doesn't even do much of that! I'm at my wits end!"

I didn't feel like moving. Romano was shouting at someone again. Two times my love had died. I had been shielded from the first one. Holy Rome had died when we were just children. Germany had helped me get over him, but now he was gone as well. I didn't know how I would come out of this one. It had taken so long for me to tell him that I loved him. I wanted more time with him. I tried to remember the sweet precious times we shared, but all I could remember was the end. I was holding his head up, drenching my blue uniform in his blood. He reached for my face. His hands were cold, but his blood was so warm. He replaced my tears with the blood that dripped from his fingers. There was no hope of saving him. In his final breaths he told me he loved me. That had been one month ago.

"Italy? Honey, are you okay?"

It was Hungary. That's who Romano was talking to. She placed a bowl of pasta in front of me. I stared at it.

"Please you've got to eat. You can't keep doing this to yourself."

I stared some more, sighed and picked up the fork. She had a point. Germany would yell at me if had seen me acting like this. I could practically hear his kind harsh voice.

"That a girl. I know it was hard dealing with the loss of Germany." I flinched. "Believe me, you guys were my favorite. It's so sad. You guys loved each other so much." I didn't miss the past tense. I slurped a bit of the spaghetti. "The only people that could come close to you guys were possibly Spamano."

That caught my attention. "Spamano?" I croaked. My voice was sore. It had been a while since I had used it.

Hungary was delighted that I was speaking. She went on trying to keep my attention. "Yeah, Spamano. You know, Spain and Romano as a couple." I didn't know Romano was with Spain. He never told me I guess. I'm glad he had found someone to love. Hopefully his story would go a lot better than mine did.

"The only why their couple wasn't as possible as yours was because people think that Spain is a whore!"

My eyes went wide. Hungary saw my reaction and instantly regretted what she had said.

"I mean it's just a rumor! There's no definitive proof. No one quite knows what's going on. You know what? Just forget I said anything."

I don't think I could forget it. What she said could never be taken back. She let me finish the rest of my pasta in silence. The only sound that came was the sound of my fork against the empty bowl.

"Thanks for coming," I said weakly as Hungary picked up the dirty dishes.

She leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Anytime sweetie. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

I was alone in the room. I know I couldn't stay like this. I had a new purpose. I got up, trying hard not to make too much noise. I didn't want Romano to know.

Every country had a few secrets: parts of their history they regretted. Germany had shown me his once. It was filled with horrible scary things. Swastikas and incinerators. Containers of poisonous gas. I had cried for hours. He had held me so close and told me how sorry he was. He had trusted me on such a deep level. I never had a chance to show him mine.

I knew I had to face this. I knew I had to do this. I needed for this to stay a rumor. I would pull this off for my brother. He deserved a happier ending. He deserved something I was ensuring I could never have.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you sure you're okay? I mean I'm glad you're not holed up in your room anymore, but I didn't think you'd recover this quick." Romano's arms were crossed when he looked at me.

I had finally decided to come out of my room. Even better, I was actually planning to leave the house. I tried my best to look as normal as possible so that Romano didn't have to worry about me anymore.

"I'm not completely over it," I admitted. "I don't think I ever will, but I just want to pay Austria a visit. Hungary's probably with him, so I want to thank her properly for coming over."

"All right…just be careful, okay? I don't want you to do anything stupid," he said.

I went over and kissed my fratello on his cheeks. He didn't like it when I did this, but he didn't want to reject me today. He just put a pout on his face.

The sun was shining brightly, but I didn't notice. The daisies were in bloom, but I didn't care. The pasta I ate this morning had no taste. All I thought about was putting one foot in front of the next all the way to Austria's house.

* * *

"Italy? I'm so happy! Did you come to visit me?" Hungary was the one to open the door. As I thought, she was at Austria's house. I posted a fake smile on my face and nodded.

"Well, come in! I'll make a snack for us! Be sure to tell Austria you're here!" She invited me into the house and made her way to the kitchen.

I found Austria sitting at the piano where he usual was. His song was a bit sadder than usual. A sadder nocturne than what he usually played. I stopped and listened by the doorway for a bit. Austria must have been suffering like me as well. He didn't move or say anything to acknowledge me being here, but I'm positive he knew. He was completely lost in his own way of mourning.

I tried my best not to disturb him as I slipped into the hallway. I made my way to a room I was all to familiar with. This was the room Austria would lock me in whenever I had done something bad. I probably knew it better than anyone.

I crouched over by the corner. It had been years since I had been in here, but it was exactly the same. I removed the panel. Holy Rome helped me find a way from here. We wanted to be together every waking moment. He was part of the reason I got into trouble so often. We had worked together to make a tunnel through the walls so I could go outside and be with him. It was god to know it was still there.

We hadn't made it very big, so it was a bit of a tight fit. I hadn't been eating very much, so I managed to squeeze through.

I would have to be quick. Hungary would be looking for me any minute now. I unstrapped the cold metal from my leg to make it easier to run.

I hid behind the bushes. I had Austria in my sights. The window in the piano room exposed him. I took a deep breath. I still had a chance to back out of this. Did I really want to do this? I thought of my brother. I wanted him to be happy, didn't I? I could do this. If it was for Romano, I could do this. I gripped the biting metal in my hands. I lined it up, aiming for Austria's head.

* * *

Mr. Austria finished up the song he was playing. He had been suffering so much after the loss of Germany. It wasn't hard to see why. It's always hard to lose a family member. I think Germany had reminded him of Holy Roman Empire a bit.

"Mr. Austria, Italy came to visit us. Would you like to join us for a snack?" I had the tray with the tea balanced carefully in my hands. I had prepared an assortment of cookies and cheeses as well. Quite a few of them were Mr. Austria's favorites.

He turned to me. "I suppose I will join you," he said as composed as ever. I wondered what he really was feeling inside. I had been with him so long that I could tell that his peaceful appearance was strained by the sadness inside.

The peace was interrupted by the sound of a gun shot. The window crashed, and the glass flew everywhere. At the time I thought of how troublesome that would be to clean up.

I dropped the tray I was holding. Fragments of china mingled with the glass. My shoes became damp from the hot tea. I didn't care. It didn't matter anymore.

Austria was slumped over the piano that he loved so much. Red blood stained the ebony and ivory keys. I didn't want to believe what was a happening. I looked out to where the window was supposed to be. I couldn't see anything.

My feet carried me to Austria's side. Maybe, I wouldn't be to late. I was probably assuming the worst. Austria would be fine.

However, my fears were confirmed. Through all the matted blood on his head, I could see one neat hole on the side.

I let out a scream. Austria's precious blood was pooling onto the floor. I held hid head close to my chest. The blood was ruining my dress. I wanted to throw up. Why? Who would want to do this to Mr. Austria? I loved him. I loved him so much.

"Hungary? What the matter? I heard something weird." I could hear Italy's voice from the hallway.

"NO! Italy, don't come in here!" I screamed, but it was too late. Italy was frozen at the doorway. His eyes were wide as he tried to assess the situation. He had been doing so much better. I didn't want him to see something like that. His face was just wide and expressionless. His face became whiter, and he fell to his knees. I let go of Austria and went over to Italy. I wrapped my arms around him as I joined him on the floor. The blood on my clothes stained his.

"We'll be alright," I tried to convince myself. "We'll be fine."


	3. Chapter 3

I wasn't surprised that I was called out here. As being part of the United Nations, it was my job to prevent tragedies like this. Plus, it helped that I was the best detective of the group.

"Have you figured anything out, because I am completely clueless?" America decided to tag along. He believed he'd be able to figure it all out because he thought he was a hotshot hero. It was actually out of character for him to give up this easily. This was going to be a tough case to crack.

"I haven't found out a whole lot yet. All I know is that a shot was fired from the outside. Judging from the type of bullet and how far it penetrated, I can determine that the murderer fired from the bushes over there."

"Do you have any idea who did it?"

I didn't want to have to think about it yet. I rubbed my temples. The possibility of another country doing this was unheard of. Usually they would declare war or something along the lines first.

I decided to change the subject. "Are the witnesses ready for questioning?

Ever since we arrived, Hungary had been clinging to Italy. Hungary nodded her head slightly.

"America, do you think that you can handle Italy? I'll go and question Hungary."

America nodded his head. Hungary let go of Italy. America gabbed Italy's arm and led him to a room down the hallway. I decided I would just question Hungary here.

"Could you tell me the events that happened just prior to the incident?"

Nothing came out of her mouth at first, but then she found her voice. "It was a pretty typical day. I had woken up early to check on how Mr. Austria was doing. He was playing the piano as usual so I decided I would straighten out the house a bit. That's when Italy came over. He came because he knew I would be here and he wanted to thank me for coming to visit him. He went down the hall to the other room while I went to go prepare a snack to eat. I went to go ask Austria if he wanted to join us and that's when…that's when…" She broke down then. Tears finally managed to touch her eyes. "I didn't even get to tell him today how much I loved him!"

"Did you see anything out of the window?" I asked.

She pulled herself together. "No, I didn't see anything."

"I see. And the front door is the only way in or out of the house?"

She shook her head. "There's another door to the back from the kitchen. No body went in or out of those doors."

I nodded. "And what happened directly afterwards?"

"I went over to Austria to see if he would be all right, but that was just me being vain. I screamed, and Italy came over to the room, the poor kid. This must be really hard on him." She sniffled a bit and went back into suppressing all emotions.

"Thank you for cooperating."

I met with America in the hallway to confirm Italy's story.

"It pans out. Italy was in that room, heard the gunshot and Hungary's scream and came out here."

This was so frustrating. I had only one person on my suspect list and I didn't like the implications. I had America call Romano to take the expressionless Italy home.

* * *

"I'm telling you I didn't do it! Let me go already!"

I had America bring in Switzerland for interrogation.

"Look we all know that you've never liked Austria."

"I've never liked anybody! Excluding, Lichtenstein of course!"

"We also know that you are pretty well versed in guns," America added.

"Ha! Lots of people know about guns around here!"

"It would take an excellent marksman to make this shot. Intelligence tells us you were versed as a mercenary. Not to mention the bullet found in Austria matches the type of gun you carry around. We also found your gun to be missing some bullets."

"I fired my gun because that idiot Italy ran through my country again. Plus I'm a neutral country; I don't do mercenary work anymore. I'm a peacekeeper."

"Everyone tends to snap eventually. Maybe you had been a neutral country for too long."

"This is ridiculous. All you're spouting is speculations. None of my bullets ever touched Austria. If you want to find the bullets I fired, you can search my land yourself. Just make it quick. I can't leave Lichtenstein unattended with a murderer running around."

I nodded to America. He escorted Switzerland back to his cell. I made my way to the phone. THAT idiot was the closest, so I had to have him go collect Switzerland's warning shots.


	4. Chapter 4

The borrowed gun was shaking in my hands. I was so scared. Big brother had told me Austria had been murdered. He said he was going to be taken in for questioning and that he'd be right back. He told me to hold on to this and to not hesitate to shoot at anyone who looked suspicious.

My whole body started to tremble. I really didn't want to let him down…but…but…I really don't think I could do something like that. He had tried to teach me to shoot one of the guns, but that hadn't ended so well. I was way off target. I didn't think I could shoot one of these things again. My fingers were sweaty as I tried to keep a tight grip.

Did I hear something? I completely froze up. It sounded as if something was coming my way. Why wouldn't the wind stop rustling the leaves so I could hear properly? I wished big brother were here. I wouldn't have to be scared out of my mind. We could just enjoy the day and have a picnic like we always did.

I counted to myself. 1…2…3…4…How many more until he figured out where I was hiding. I had to think. What would big brother do in this situation? I took a deep breath. I needed to be brave. I took a swift peek from the tree I was hiding behind. There was a dark figure standing not to far from where I was. I held my breath and pulled the trigger. I heard the sound of bullet on wood. I had missed. They were coming to get me. I started to cry.

"Holy crapola!" The voice sounded familiar. I chanced another peak over. I recognized who it was this time.

"Italy? Is that you? Why are you here? You're trespassing, you know. Big brother wouldn't like that you came over." I said in a shaking voice.

"Oh Lichtenstein, you look so cute when you act like your older brother," Italy said. I relaxed a bit. I could feel a small blush come to my cheeks.

"There's no need to worry. I've come to take care of you!" Italy said.

I came out from behind the tree. "I really don't think that will be necessary. Brother should be back anytime now, but thank you for your concern."

"Oh? I guess that means that I'll have to rush this a bit."

It was too late to hide. I was like a deer in headlights. Italy had pulled a gun out of his shirt. He aimed it right towards me. I didn't understand. I still had the gun in my hands, but I couldn't move.

"It's a shame really. Your pairing wasn't even that strong. I couldn't really find any concrete evidence from it. Still, there was a possibility and I simply couldn't let an opportunity like this pass up."

I could barely hear the shots as Italy fired into my stomach, my chest. I knew that they would be loud. Everything was fading. Tints of red and black seared through with excruciating pain. My weapon fell through my hands. Switzerland, you would forgive me, right?

* * *

I couldn't believe Angleterre was going to make me do something like this so late. The sun was even beginning to set. Oh well, I guess it couldn't be helped. It wasn't like I had plans anymore. Once I learned that Austria had been murdered, we cancelled our plans to go drinking. The news was just a bit too shocking. My idea of a good evening wasn't searching through the woods for a few bullets, though.

I saw a figure in the distance. Was that Switzerland? No, that wasn't possible. I could see the girlish figure through the many clothes. Plus, Switzerland was being questioned by Angleterre. This was Lichtenstein. It would probably be best to tell her that I was here.

"Oy, Lichtenstein!" I called out, but my voice had been covered up by the sound of gunshots.

Lichtenstein slumped down. Another figure was revealed from behind her. My eyes went wide. That couldn't possibly be…I didn't want to believe it. How could Italy possibly…?

"I must have been lucky tonight," Italy said as he stepped over her body. "I didn't think I'd have this opportunity so soon. Your pair is almost popular. Germany would praise my efficiency!"

I was shocked. Italy had always been so innocent. What was I supposed to do? I needed to buy more time.

"Are you doing this for Germany? His death was an accident. It was nobody's fault. You know that! He probably wouldn't like you doing this!" I said. I needed to move. I needed to get away. I at least needed to tell someone who was behind everything.

Italy's smile slipped off of his face. "You're right. He wouldn't want me to do this. I'm not doing this for him though. I hope he'll forgive me in heaven. I probably won't be able to join him there."

It wasn't enough time. Italy's bullet ripped through my heart. In my head, I laughed at the irony. I had broken the hearts of so many people. As my consciousness was fading, I couldn't even move my hand to give any sort of clue to Angleterre. I could only pray that he could stop Italy before more innocent people got hurt.


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't believe it. As much as I had jokingly fantasized about this situation, it was a harsh reality to face. It made me feel ashamed that I could ever wish this on someone even in jest.

France lay there in the grass. The dark red blood on the front of his shirt looked like one of the roses he loved so much. I couldn't help but think it was my fault. I should have been more careful I should have sent someone else out here with him. I don't know what I was thinking. There was a murderer out here. A cold-blooded murderer. I guess I thought France would run away or give up like he usually did. He had always found a way to survive after the countless wars.

I also blamed myself for Lichtenstein. The only reason why she ended up like this is become I was the one who brought her brother in for questioning. It would have been worth something if it had actually panned out. When France didn't report back, America and I came out here and found all of the bullets in question. That's when we found two more bodies.

I was the one who had to break it to Switzerland. That his little sister had been murdered. Somebody had to. He had screamed and shouted in anguish. I had never seen someone so hurt by grief. When he saw her body, he finally started crying. . He questioned the world of why it would take someone like her away. She hadn't done anything wrong. She was so sweet. Why would anyone want to kill her? It was so cruel. She had been shot two times in the stomach and once in the chest.

He carried her to a pasture with a breathtaking view of the mountains. He buried her and decorated her grave with flowers and ribbons. After that, he disappeared, refusing to accept the people of the world that had taken away his beloved sister.

"I know that this is hard for you, man," America said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "You grew up with France, and now he's just gone."

"It'll be tough, but those no use in dwelling on it. The best thing we can do is to keep going and bring the person who's causing all of this to justice."

"Do you have any more ideas n who it might be? Prussia's pretty violent, you know. He didn't like Austria too much either."

I shook my head. "It's true, but Prussia couldn't have done it. He's too loud to have gotten anywhere near Austria's house without getting hit with a frying pan. Plus, France was one of Prussia's best friends."

"So, who could it be?"

"Whoever did it must be a bit psychotic. I can't think of any reasons as to why anyone would kill Lichtenstein, so they must be crazy."

"Crazy people, huh? Russia's thinking has always been a bit weird. Belarus could be an option as well. If someone got to close to her brother, I don't think she would hesitate to kill them."

"I guess we have no other options at this point. There's no harm in asking them a few questions, I suppose," I said. Together with America, we made the long trek to Russia's house.

* * *

America was late, but I suppose that was typical. He had been pretty busy with England lately trying to solve the recent string of murders. He asked to come over so that he could relax a bit. He suggested that we play some new video games.

I accepted his proposal. It would probably be best to relax a bit. These times were being stressful on everyone. I waited patiently while drinking a bit of the traditional tea. I tried to relax as I heard the bamboo slapping the rock by the pond.

"Ve~ Japan? Where are you? Are you home?" I heard the vice of my friend, Italy. I hadn't been expecting him.

I got out of seiza position. I felt the blood rushing back into my legs. Perhaps I had been sitting like that for a bit too long. I quietly walked through the hallways and greeted Italy near the sliding doors. He was taking off his shoes at the step.

I gave him a polite bow. "Welcome. Please come in. I must say I'm a bit surprised. I didn't expect you to come today." I hadn't seen Italy in a while. It had been pretty hard on both of us since the loss of a mutual ally.

"Ve, sorry about that. I wasn't intending to stay very long," Italy said.

I turned to lead him through the hall. I noticed just in time to pull out my katana and flip back around.

I was just in time. The bullet Italy sent my way was sliced cleanly by my blade.

Italy smiled a bit. "I knew you'd be the toughest one yet. It's a shame really."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked. I had to weave in and out of the bullets Italy kept firing at me. They became swifter and more frequent.

"It's silly really. You actually couldn't help it. Your birthday was just to close."

I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge all of them. One was going to hit me eventually. Hopefully I would last until he had to reload. Then I felt it. Searing pain ripped through my leg. One of the bullets had caught me in my thigh. Another flew through the knee on my opposite leg. I was forced to the ground.

I knew I wouldn't be able to escape now. Italy stalked closer while reloading his weapon. I wanted to scream, but I didn't have much time. I dipped my fingers into my own blood. I needed to leave a clue.

My fingers were gone. Italy blew the smoke away from the gun. He shot at the shoulder of my other arm, rendering useless. I couldn't do anything.

Italy raised the gun to my forehead. "Happy Birthday" were the last words I heard.


	6. Chapter 6

Man, that meeting had gone longer than I expected. I rubbed at my tired shoulders. Being a hero was tough sometimes. I hoped Japan wouldn't mind that I was so late.

We had gone nowhere by questioning Russia and Belarus. Both seemed unaware when we told them about the string of murders.

"That's not right, da? If you all became one with me, you'd all be safe!" Russia said.

"I didn't do it. If someone came close to my brother and I killed them, you wouldn't ever know about it."

Okay what Belarus had said was a bit scary, but both of their alibis had checked out. Russia had been stalking China, and Belarus had been sharpening her knives, waiting for her brother to come home. Lithuania had confirmed that.

I sighed. Justice seemed so far away. We had no new leads. The stress was really taking its toll on England. He looked so tired as he headed home tonight.

"You know England, you could come with me if you want. I was going to go to Japan's to play some video games. He probably won't mind if you came along." I didn't want to leave him alone. He didn't have anyone to release stress with anymore.

He looked at me with a sad expression on his face. "Sorry, I don't think I could kill anyone today, even in the virtual world. Don't stay up to late, okay? It's going to be another long day tomorrow," he said as he walked away.

I shivered a bit. Even though I wasn't with Russia I was still cold. Did that guy have the air-conditioning turned on all year round or what? I rubbed my arms up and down. Hopefully Japan would let me use his hot springs as well. I slid back the doors to his house.

"Hey, Japan! Sorry I'm late! I hope you're all warmed up because I'm ready to shoot a bunch of zombies! I am the hero after all!" I stepped through the hallway on the way to the gaming room.

I could hear the clunking of my feel resonating through the house. I looked down. I had forgotten to take off my shoes.

"Sorry Jap-," I started to say. Usually he would ask me to take off my shoes at that point. Why wasn't he saying anything?

I looked down again. I noticed something horrifyingly different. I was stepping in a pool of red sticky liquid. I looked at the paper walls. The red liquid was splattered on the white with small holes scattered everywhere.

My eyes unwillingly looked further down the hall where they found the source of the sticky liquid. Japan was lying there. His white uniform looked almost completely red from his blood.

I almost threw up. He must have been in so much pain. 1…2…3… How many times had he been shot? Some of his fingers were even missing.

I ran out of the house. I wasn't running away or anything. I just didn't want my vomit to compromise any of the evidence.

I was breathing heavy. I didn't know how much longer I could stand. I sat down along the path. I pulled out my cell phone.

"Look, America, I'm really tired. I'll play with you some other day when we've gotten this all straightened out."

"Japan's dead," I said calmly and hung up. Thunder clapped as rain began to fall from the sky. I suddenly remembered why I hate horror movies so much.

* * *

I laid in my bed listening to the sound of the storm. I could hardly believe what had been happening. It was like the people close to me were dropping dead one by one. West, France, Austria… I would never be able to see either of them again. Switzerland had gone into hiding as a last ditch ultimate neutrality effort. I was surprised when I got the phone call.

"This is the awesome Prussia," I said, but not in the same enthusiasm as I usually did.

"Um, Prussia? It's me." I could feel my eyes go wide. Hungary? Hungary of all people. And she was calling me? Te last I knew she hated my guts. Something was off.

"What? Are you crying? You're such a weak little girl!" I said, not quite sure what else I was supposed to say.

I heard sobbing on the other line. She really was crying! Oh shit! I messed up! "Look Hungary, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!" she shouted into the line. I had to hold the phone a bit away from my ear. "I finally worked up the courage t-to call you, and you treat me like this. I sure know how to pick them, don't I!"

That sounded weird. "So why did you call me, Hungary?" I said.

There was silence for a bit. "I don't know, but I think I love you," she said quietly.

It was my turn to be silent. He spent a few minutes like that. "Are you still there?" she said hesitantly.

"Y-yeah, um, I don't know what to say. Don't want to hurt your feelings, but…that's a load of crap."

"What! How can you say that? You don't know how I feel!"

"Yeah! I do! If you hadn't noticed, I just lost my brother!" Another silence. "My brother!" I repeated. Damn it I wasn't going to cry. Not in front of Hungary. "You're feeling lonely and vulnerable. You want to be with somebody, and I'm the closest person you can find."

"I loved him so much!" she cried.

"Yeah, I know, but that's the reason why you left me for him."

"But, Prussia, you should know that I love you, too. You're not alone." We were silent again. I didn't make any noise as the tears fell silently from my face.

"Is it all right if I come over?" she said interrupting the quiet.

"Y-yeah." It was late, though. "I'll be waiting."

"I'll be right there," she said and hung up the phone.

As soon as I put the phone down, I heard a knock at the door. Man, I sure was popular tonight. That couldn't have been Hungary yet. I headed down the stairs to let my mysterious visitor out of the rain.


	7. Chapter 7

I wringed my hands as I walked through the rain. They slipped and slid off of one another. What did Prussia think of me? Had I made a mistake? I didn't think what I had told him had been a lie, but I felt guilty nonetheless. My hair was drenched.

The guilt was like a pit centered at my stomach. I knew I loved Prussia. Almost as soon as I accepted Austria's death, I had felt relieved. Relieved. What kind of sick person was I?

But…but…I couldn't help myself. I wanted to be with Prussia. I didn't want to feel all alone anymore. My pace quickened as I came across Prussia's house.

Something was strange. Prussia's door was wide over. Did he leave? That wouldn't make sense. He knew I was coming. Was someone else here? Prussia didn't have very many friends, and there shouldn't be anyone visiting this late at night. All of the lights were out. I let myself in the door.

My steps echoed through the house. Where was he?

"Prussia?" I called out. There was no answer.

Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. I didn't want to go further, but I had no choice. My feet carried me through the pitch-black corridors.

The moon broke through the clouds and shone through the window. Everything was red. The walls were red the floors were red. My shoes were stained in the red. I knew the source without looking.

My body slammed to the ground. This was the image I had been trying to escape. I felt around the floor as if I was blind. I was only greeted by cool blood. I crawled through it. My hands were searching everywhere.

I felt his boot. I followed it up to his leg and his chest that was leaned against the lower cabinets. I was finally able to use my eyes as I looked at his face. Three bright red eyes stared back at me. Two of them were wide with shock and fear. The last one was centered on his forehead and was emotionless.

His mouth was wide open. I pressed my lips to his. They were cold. Loveless.

I wept onto his face. It was almost as if he was crying, too, but he would never do that in front of me. I was alone again. Everybody that I loved was gone. It was my fault they were dead. As if my love had been a curse.

In the pool of blood coming from his body, I found a single hand gun.

I breathed out. The corners of my mouth turned up. Sweet relief.

I held the cold, wet metal to my head. I gave one last look to my beloved. My hands were shaking in anticipation as I pulled the trigger.

A soft clink. Nothing happened.

It was like Prussia had left me one final message.

"Be strong, Hungary. You've always been strong. You can live on without me. Don't let me have died in vain."

Idiot. Since when have I listened to you?

I got up and went towards the counter. Safe against the wall were the knives. I grabbed one that looked promising.

I returned to my place with Prussia. I sat on his lap and wrapped his arms around the bloody waist of my dress.

I gave him one last kiss on his cheek as I slid the dark metal along my wrist. I gasped at the pain. My warm blood flowed out and mixed with his. Together at last.

* * *

"What do you think happened?" America said. He could barely stand in the room. His face was stark white. He tried his best for me, but I knew he wasn't the same since Japan. "You don't think Hungary did it, do you?"

I shook my head. "Probably not." There was a gun lying a few feet away. Both sides were stained in blood. It looked like it had been Prussia's so we still didn't have a link to the murderer.

I checked the fingerprints anyway. It looked like it was just Prussia's and Hungary's. She must have tried to kill herself with this first but found it had been empty. She had gotten one of the kitchen knives and slit her own wrists

"Excuse me!" America said, covering up his mouth. He ran out of the room.

I sighed. Sometimes it was easy to forget he was still a child.

I didn't like the conclusion I had come to. In both the cases of Japan and Prussia, the murderer had been welcome inside. There had been no evidence of a struggle on the door.

I walked outside to find America. He was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. I would have to break it to him.

"You're off the case," I said.

"What? I'll be fine in a minute. Give me like ten seconds," he said trying to get back up.

"Honestly you're not being much of a help at this point. You should go home and stick close to somebody. No body should be out alone anymore."

He nodded, somewhat accepting what I had to say. America looked up at me. "But what about you England? You don't have anybody."

"I can handle myself."


	8. Chapter 8

The next hit I knew wouldn't be hard. It was probably the easiest that there would ever be. I made my way through the ruins.

The sun beat down on my head. My shadow stretched out long behind me.

"Meow." I flinched at the sudden noise. It was just another stray cat. I squatted down and patted its furry head. She purred under my touch.

I went back to the task I had set before myself. Greece was sleeping on part of his mother's ruins. I held my gun up to his head and fired. The impact rolled his body to the ground, his blood spilling out.

It almost surprised me how used to this I had become. How easy it was. How unfazed I had become. I didn't even flinch as several stray cats pranced over to lap at their owner's blood.

I heard the footsteps of something that wasn't feline. I hid behind the ruins of one of the pillars. I had always been good at hiding and running away.

"Bloody hell! Bloody hell!" the voice of the footsteps said.

Today must have been another one of my lucky days. England shooed the cats away and started to inspect Greece.

"He's still warm…" England muttered. Realization hit him and he rolled out of my sight. I should have acted right away.

"That's your seventh now, you bastard. I'll make sure there isn't another one of your victims. You die today."

Seven? I counted on my fingers. I only remembered killing six.

"First it was Austria, poor little Lichtenstein, that pervert France, refrained Japan, self proclaimed awesome Prussia, Hungary killed herself in grief, and now Greece. What have any of them ever done to you?"

It would be stupid to answer, so I didn't. I calmed my mind. I had to think. England I knew was a top-notch spy. He would probably be the hardest to take down. Unlike Japan, England probably wouldn't hesitate to kill me. Two extremities in the same day.

"Don't you realize how many people you've hurt?" His footsteps sounded. They were fast against the stone. It echoed throughout the place and made it difficult to hear where he was coming from or where he was going.

I took a chance and moved as well. I looked both ways and ran from pillar to pillar.

Bullets flew by the pillar I was at. He could guess where I was at, but I still had no idea where he was. I fired a few shots in the vague direction that I was being fired from.

I looked around frantically. Finally, I smiled to myself. England had made his mistake. He was in my line of sight. I fired my gun at him.

He fell to the ground with a groan. He wasn't dead yet. I would have to finish him off.

I saw his eyes go wide as I stalked over.

"Not who you were expecting?" I said.

"Actually, no. I was expecting your brother, but I'll kill you just the same." England held up his gun. He was locked on me.

I had been expecting this. I shot immediately at his wrist, knocking the gun from his hand. He screamed out in pain.

His blood dripped down to his fingertips. He thought I wouldn't notice but he nonchalantly drew a swirl into the ground.

I stood over him. My first shot had just gotten his shoulder. I wouldn't miss this time. I shot straight into his heart. I watched his face as his strength left him with the blood. Just like all the others.

Now to deal with the swirl. He tried to leave a cue about my trademark curl. I grabbed his wrist by the sleeve. I dipped his finger back into the blood. I drew a star on top of the swirl. There. It looked just like one of his magic spells. My identity would still be hidden.

* * *

"Veneziano! I made your fucking favorite! Come out already!"

I put the pasta on the table. After all I did for my brother he still didn't appreciate it. I stomped off to Veneziano's room. I knocked on his door. He still shut himself in his room for most of the day.

"I said come out already. Your food's going to get fucking cold!"

There was no answer.

"Don't make me come in there!"

Still no answer. Guess I had no choice.

I forced down my brother's door. The room was empty. Where could he be hiding? I hadn't noticed him come out.

I felt the soft breeze. A breeze? His fucking window was wide open.

"Damn it, Veneziano!"

Didn't he know that there was a fucking murderer out there? I stormed out of the house to look for my little brother.


	9. Chapter 9

Stupid brother, where could he have gone? It seemed I had checked all of his usual places. I even checked that dead potato bastard's house. Veneziano wasn't anywhere.

I saw the hamburger bastard not to far away. He looked a little odd. A little different from how he usually looked. Plus he was standing in the middle of the road, which happened to be in my way.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I said.

"Romano? Is that you? Why are you out here by yourself? Don't you know about all the murders going on?"

"Of course it's me! Who else would it be? And I'm not an idiot, of course I know about the murders. Aren't you being a bit hypocritical? I don't see you out with anybody either."

"What are you talking about?" His face finally got a bit of emotion. It was confusion. "I'm out here with my brother." He indicated to the space next to him. My god, he was delusional.

"I repeat, what the hell is wrong with you? It's like your brain died or something."

America sighed. "England's dead."

"Oh shit!" I said. They got him? Of all people? He was one of the toughest people I knew.

"Yeah. What I can't figure out is why he bothered to draw this." He showed me a picture of some weird swirly star.

"Ugh, that England's always been a weird one hasn't he?"

"Actually, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you, Romano."

"Well, spit it out already. It's not like I've got all day, you know." I needed to find my brother.

"Right, one thing I've noticed is that in all the crimes a different gun had been used. I hate to bring this up, but the mafia isn't involved in this, is it? You're the head of the mafia, aren't you?"

I froze. Shit just got serious. This couldn't be happening. "I didn't tell anyone to move, and I sure as hell didn't kill anybody."

America nodded. "Right. So Canada and I've got to go. You be careful, okay?"

Who? America headed further down the road he was on. I ran in the other direction. This couldn't be happening. How was this even possible? I ran back home praying that I wouldn't be too late.

* * *

"This is horrible," Canada said.

We had arrived at Belgium's house. I would have been utterly horrified, but I wasn't. I was all horrified out. Nothing like this surprised me anymore.

Belgium and Netherlands were laid side by side. Someone had taken a machine gun and destroyed their bodies. Something had been bothering me about the names of the victims. They were all connected in some way that I couldn't remember.

"It looks like Netherlands died trying to protect Belgium," Canada said. It was true. Netherlands' body had covered Belgium, but it was no use. The bullets had torn threw both of their bodies.

"It's sort of amazing the lengths siblings would go through," Canada said.

It was like I had been electrocuted. Something had clicked. The names, Siblings, even England's drawing. Everything had fallen into place. Oh God!

"Canada, you're a genius. I'm serious! Certified hero!"

I ran out the house. I wouldn't be to late this time. I won't let all those people die in vain.


	10. Chapter 10

America said that no one should be alone. It seemed like all my friends were dying around me. Kind of like a really sick twist of fate. I wasn't doing so well, but I knew I had to be strong. At least Romano could cheer me up.

I was heading over to his house right now. Romano and Veneziano were just so cute. I would hate to see either one of them gone. I would have to protect them.

I was surprised to find that the door to the house was open. I panicked. Oh God no! Please don't tell me I was too late! I ran into the house.

"Romano!" I yelled. I tore through the house. I couldn't find him anywhere. I felt sort of relieved and worried at the same time. Veneziano wasn't home either. I leaned on the wall. I wondered where they could have gone.

I stumbled back. The wall had revolved around me. I didn't know this dark little room even existed. I put my hands on the wall trying to find my way out. Instead, I found the light switch.

The little room was bigger than I thought. It wasn't very wide, only about two or three people wide, but it was pretty long. How did this place fit in with the rest of the house?

I blinked several times. I couldn't believe my eyes. I hesitated to take a step further. The walls on either side were lined with several types of guns and ammunition. Thousands of guns. Types of guns I hadn't even seen before. I reached out to one of them, but was met with a glass wall. I looked closer to find that all of these guns in a giant case.

I ran my fingers across the glass as I went further into the room. As I came to the end, I found that there was a space. One of the guns was missing. I also noticed a piece of paper. It had several names written on it, but several of them were crossed out. Austria, Lichtenstein, France, Japan, Prussia, Greece, England, Netherlands, and Belgium. Something seemed weird about this, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

When I realized, I was horrified. The list floated from my hands. This was a list everyone who had been murdered. I didn't want to think of the implications. Netherlands and Belgium were the only names that hadn't been crossed out. I needed to warn them. I ran to the other end of the room. I needed to get out of here. Before I could reach it, the wall turned again.

"Oh, Spain! What are you doing here? Were you looking for my brother?" he said.

His suit was speckled were red. I wanted to pretend he was just a really messy eater. Tat he had simply got a lot of tomato sauce all over him.

In his arms he carried a heavy machine gun. He slipped past me and went to the end of the way where I had been. He opened the case.

"I see you've noticed the secret room. This ought to be troublesome." He set the machine gun in its place. "I usually don't like machine guns. They give a lot of fire, but they're just so messy. I prefer something a bit more classic." He pulled out a revolver and played with it in his hands. "Yep! This is so much better!"

"I don't understand." I felt frozen in place. "I just came here to check on you and Romano and I find out this. How could you guys do this?"

"Oh Romano had nothing to do with this. People assume that he's the head of the mafia, but he can't organize anything, definitely not crime. Something bothers me, Spain. Who do you like more, me or Romano?"

"I had to think of my answer carefully. I didn't want to upset him. He did have a loaded weapon in his hand. "I like you both. I love you both so much, so that why it hurts me so much to see you like this."

He looked bothered by that. "That wasn't a very good answer, Spain. You see, none of this would have happened if you weren't such a giant whore."

He cocked his gun and pointed it at me. I wanted to move, but I was frozen in place.

"I just want a happy life for my fratello. I thought he might find it with you. I killed all those people because there was a slight chance that they might have a relationship with you. It was nothing personal, really. But, they seemed to have all died in vain. It wasn't their fault. It was yours. I don't think my brother deserves to be with someone like you, you murderer."

With accusation, it felt like I got heavier. It was my fault. It was my fault that all my friends were died.

"If only you stayed true for Romano, I wouldn't have to kill you here. Spamano will never be. Let's see, the next pairing would be Itacest, wouldn't it. If it's for my brother, I suppose I can open myself up again. He won't ever take the place of Germany, but I'll pretend to be happy with my brother. He deserves a happy ending. Goodbye Spain."

Everything seemed to be happening at once. I heard the sound of the door revolving again.

Someone shouted out "NO!" The voice was followed by the sound of a gunshot.

I couldn't see Italy anymore. My line of sight was blocked. His horrified face was slowly revealed as the person who stood in front of me fell to their knees and back.

"Romano," I said simply calling out the name of the person who had died for me. I placed his head n my shoulders as he took his final gasps. In vain, I placed my hands over the wound on his chest. The wound that had been meant for me.

"What have I done?" Italy breathed out. The gun dropped from his hands. He fell to his knees and reached out for his brother's body.

"I've killed him," he said. "He's dead just like Germany. I killed them both."

Germany's death had been an accident, plain and simple. Italy had thrown a grenade that he had made. They had waited several hours for it to go off, but nothing happened. Germany went to go take care of it, and then it went off. Italy had tried to patch him up, but the damage was beyond repair.

Italy reached back for his gun. He placed the cold metal inside his mouth. I realized too late what he was going to do.

"Italy no!"

I was too late. Another shot was fired. Bits of blood and gore splattered against the glass and Italy fell backwards onto the stained floor.

* * *

Breaking into Italy's house was a lot easier than I thought, considering that the door was unlocked.

"Italy, you better come out! You're under arrest for the murder of several people!" I shouted as I stomped through the house.

"Don't you think you should be a be quieter? You don't want Italy to run away," Canada whispered beside.

"It doesn't look like anyone's home, anyway. I guess we'll just have to wait for him to come home, and then we'll ambush Italy."

"Huh? America? Is that you?" I heard a muffled voice through the wall.

"Spain? Is that you? Where are you man?"

"There's a secret door on the wall. I don't know how to get out of this room."

I pounded on the wall in the hallway. It revolved around my fist. I stopped it from completely flipping. The door was perpendicular to the rest of the wall.

"Oh God!" Canada said as he came up beside me.

The sight really was horrible. Spain was on the bloody ground with the corpse of Romano on his lap, causing the front of his clothes to be stained. Even further in, Italy laid in his very own pool of blood. Blood was everywhere. Blood and guns.

"What happened here?" Canada said.

"It was Italy. Italy was the one…I just wanted to protect them. This was all my fault," Spain said.

It was just had I predicted. I could pretty much guess what had gone on. All of the victims killed by Italy were the rumored lovers of Spain. Since Spain was supposedly with Romano, Italy in his grief killed all of the others. Italy was going to kill Spain as well, but Romano got in the way. With Romano dead, Italy killed himself.

"It's not you fault, Spain," I said. "You couldn't have known what was going on. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I call myself a hero, but I couldn't save anyone. I couldn't prevent this tragedy."

**AN: Moral of the story: Don't freak out if people don't ship the same couples as you :)**


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